Payton Chang
D1 Athlete turned Sports Marketing Leader | SMSports & Influencer Mktg
Studied at Stanford University
Works at Fanatics
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Payton's Offerings
Custom hourly · $50/hr
Get help with Sports Marketing.
Payton’s Sports Management Qualifications
Experience level: Associate
10+ people coached for Sports Management
I've had the opportunity to work in sports marketing and social media on the team & brand side across all major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, ATP/WTA), connecting with the world's best athletes and biggest sports creators. My experience ranges from covering the Miami Dolphins on social media for 3 seasons to creating F1 Miami Grand Prix's social media strategy from the ground up to building the annual Fanatics Fest influencer invite list & event programming. In addition, I've built my own freelance business, gaining opportunities with TGL, NBA & more. With my experience spanning over the team, league, brand and agency side, I can help you figure out your career in sports marketing, social media & influencer marketing.
Payton can help with:
Sports Marketing
About Payton
Hi there! I'm a former D1 student-athlete at Stanford and Northwestern where I was a member of the 2016 & 2018 NCAA Volleyball National Championship teams. After finishing my graduate transfer year at Northwestern with a Masters in Sports Administration, I made the jump from playing sports at the highest level to working in sports with the world's best athletes. My experience in social media spans from launching the inaugural Athletes Unlimited & F1 Miami Grand Prix's channels to traveling and covering the Miami Dolphins the 2022 season to building pre-existed brands on social like the Miami Open and Fanatics Authentic. Throughout working in #SMSports (aka social media sports), I've had the opportunity to connect with a variety of sports & lifestyle content creators, building the influencer programming for the Miami Dolphins & Hard Rock Stadium events to Fanatics Fest, the largest sports and entertainment festival in the world. In addition, my networking has landed me a variety of freelance opportunities from on-site content creation for the NBA, leading short-form content strategy for TGL on match nights, supporting Stanford's NIL collective marketing efforts and more. I've had incredible opportunities covering all of the major sports leagues and working with the biggest athletes & sports creators and looking forward to helping you launch your career in sports.
Why do I coach?
I coach because I want to give back and help young professionals reach their dreams of working in sports. I've had once-in-a-lifetime opportunities working the world's biggest events on the social media & marketing side (Super Bowl, WrestleMania, MLB All-Star & World Baseball Classic, F1 Miami Grand Prix) and want to help you figure out what's your path to working in sports. As a former collegiate athlete at the highest level, coaches have made such an impact on my career today and it's made me a better employee for my company and person outside of work.
Work Experience
Digital Correspondent (Freelance)
National Basketball Association
November 2025 - Present
- On-site content creator for select NBA gamedays and events in Miami in partnership with Gondola
Content Creator (Freelance)
Monday Standard Studio
May 2025 - Present
- On-site content creator and event assistant for Monday Standard Studio's client NOWADAYS, hosting a variety of local micro and macroinfluencers at Kygo's Palm Tree Club's monthly residency - Monday Standard Studio is an events, marketing and consulting sports & entertainment agency founded by Formula 1 executive, Lauren Teixeira
Social Media Consultant (Freelance)
TMRW Sports
November 2024 - Present
- Led all posting on TikTok and YouTube channels on TGL match nights during their inaugural season - Provided social media content ideas for TGL, a golf league created by TMRW Sports, a venture formed by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and sports executive Mike McCarley and in partnership with the PGA Tour
Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing
Fanatics
January 2024 - Present
- Lead social media and marketing strategy for Fanatics Authentic division, the memorabilia and collectibles division at Fanatics - Work with our Athlete Relations team and agents of our Fanatics Exclusive athletes to showcase our exclusive autograph relationships with the biggest names in sports - Develop influencer strategy for major sporting events (ie. NHL All-Star Week, WrestleMania, NFLPA Rookie Premiere) and for major memorabilia product drops (ie. Fanatics UnderWraps) - Handle hosting of clients and guests for our private meet and greets with our Fanatics Exclusive athletes
Marketing Manager (Freelance)
Lifetime Cardinal
July 2023 - July 2025
- Lead social media marketing strategy for Stanford's NIL Collective, Lifetime Cardinal
Social Media Manager
Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium
September 2021 - January 2024
Hiring Manager
- Build content calendar and handle daily scheduling of social posts across Miami Dolphins accounts and the Miami Dolphins properties (Hard Rock Stadium, Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Miami Open and Miami Dolphins Cheer) from organic to branded social - Assist with influencer and collaboration activations across Miami Dolphins, Miami Open, and F1 Miami Grand Prix - Lead on overall social strategy for organic and partnered content for the Miami Open and F1 Miami Grand Prix and execute on social during event time - Interview Formula 1 drivers, ATP/WTA players, Miami Dolphins players to create fun and engaging social media content
Social Media Coordinator
Athletes Unlimited
August 2020 - August 2021
- Manage content calendar and handle in-game and out of season scheduling of social posts across AU Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube accounts for all three leagues (volleyball, softball, lacrosse) - Coordinating with athletes for any assets to post on AU social accounts and any media requests - Responding to fans on AU social accounts and handle incoming media requests - Track weekly KPIs
Marketing Intern
Wasserman (company)
January 2020 - March 2020
-Worked alongside Wasserman's partnership with Microsoft Surface and its "Anything But Ordinary" campaign for the 2019-2020 NFL season, Super Bowl LIV and NFL Honors on-site activation in Miami, FL -Helped track the campaign's social media/sweepstakes outreach and monetary value on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter -Use AI-powered social media monitoring tools (CrowdTangle, Crimson Hexagon, Zoomph) to research talent for Microsoft Surface's 2020-21 NFL season campaign -Research Millennial/Gen Z trends and potential partnerships for Microsoft Surface Duo device and Microsoft's holistic strategy -Assist with Microsoft Surface's marketing campaign for Wonder Woman 1984 -Create partnership proposal decks for brands (ie. Barstool Sports)
Education
Northwestern University
Master of Arts - M.A., Sports Administration
2019 - 2020
Activities and societies: Varsity Volleyball, Athletes in Action Course load includes Sports Business/Accounting, Sports Public Relations, Sponsorships, Sports Marketing, Legal and Ethical Issues, Technology in Sport, Digital Media in Sports
Stanford University
Bachelor of Arts - BA, Science, Technology and Society
2015 - 2019
Activities and societies: Varsity Indoor and Beach Volleyball, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Stanford Women in Business (SWIB) Society Member Earned a B.A. in Science, Technology, and Society with a concentration in Communication and Media. Course load included Computer Science, Communications, Physics, Civil Engineering, Art Studio, History, Linguistics, English. Studied Winter Quarter 2019 abroad at the Stanford in Florence campus in Firenze, Italy and helped run the Stanford in Florence Instagram account.
Mater Dei High School
High School Diploma
2012 - 2015
National Honor Society Member, California Scholastic Federation Member, Principal's Honor Roll all 8 semesters, Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, Captain of Varsity Volleyball team, Performed over 80 hours of community service